Architect firm sees surge in budget hotel developments

MANCHESTER-based architect firm The Harris Partnership has said it is benefiting from a surge in budget hotel developments.

The practice has been commissioned to provide designs for three hotels for Travelodge, based in Birmingham, Cheshire and Gateshead.

The commission follows the completion of a £3m 60-bed Travelodge Hotel that formed part of the redevelopment of the Arndale Centre in Morecambe.

The firm also worked on a recently completed 80-bed Travelodge in Hull, East Yorkshire.

Other hotel schemes designed by the practice and under construction include a 100-bed Premier Inn in Halifax due to complete in April 2012, and a 200-bed Ramada Encore scheduled to complete in March 2012.

Ben Battye, associate director at The Harris Partnership, said: “It’s important that a major brand like Travelodge has a distinctive and original identity and is instantly recognizable by the general public.

“Different developers and fund managers are involved in bringing forward these hotels, and they appreciate the fact that we have a track record in designing schemes that have brand uniformity, while also taking into account the surrounding environment and local planning issues.”